News about Architecture & Sustainable Design

The president of the National Association of Women in Construction visited Penn College this past week, engaging faculty/staff and students with the organization’s promise of “Leading builders. Building leaders.” Doreen Bartoldus, water/wastewater construction management leader at Jacobs Engineering, provided an overview of the educational and networking opportunities available to NAWIC chapters. The visit was facilitated by Ellyn A. Lester, assistant dean of construction and architectural technologies, a longtime friend and colleague of the presenter. Bartoldus has more than 45 years of professional experience as a civil/environmental engineer and construction manager, participating in billion-dollar construction projects including water distribution and treatment facilities, tunnels, community park and recreation facilities, and highways. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of New York University (now Tandem School Of Engineering) and a Master of Business Administration in Sustainable Business from Green Mountain College. Bartoldus is a registered professional engineer in New York, a certified construction manager, a LEED Green Associate and an Envision Sustainability Professional. In addition to Friday’s luncheon in the Thompson Professional Development Center, she presented “Build It/They Will Come” to a College Avenue Labs audience the night before.

Students in two sections of Rob A. Wozniak’s “Sustainability: Building and Living Green” course were visited this week by Keystone Wood Products Association representatives, who talked about the benefits of wood as a renewable construction material.

The classes – comprising students in architecture and sustainable design, architectural technology and other construction-related majors – heard Monday afternoon from Ken Nuttle, KWPA education specialist; and the following morning from Stephanie Phillips-Taggart, marketing coordinator for the association’s 11-county membership area.

“Wood plays an incredible role in our lives on a regular basis,” Tuesday’s guest said, reinforcing her message with videos profiling regional hardwood businesses and the importance of healthy forest management.

Campuswide ingenuity and the generosity of a longtime supporter have produced the Fish Real Estate Leadership Challenge Course at Penn College. Architecture and concrete science students; General Services personnel; and Rob Cooley, associate professor of anthropology/environmental science, played vital roles in developing and building the course. Brent and Daria Fish funded the project in honor of Brent’s father, William H. Fish, a respected businessman, community leader and friend of the college. A wide variety of student and industry groups will use the course to enhance problem-solving, leadership, teamwork and communication skills. “The purpose of a challenge course is to create structured, physical outdoor activities that draw people together,” Cooley explains in a video on the college’s YouTube channel. “It’s not me up at the whiteboard or me at the computer telling them what to do. It’s me presenting a challenge and stepping back. The collective effort is what solves the problem and creates the learning experience.”

For two years, Lauryn A. Stauffer has seen only male faces in her electronics classes at Pennsylvania College of Technology. This fall, she’ll at least see multiple women leaders within the School of Engineering Technologies.

The school devoted to careers rooted in science, technology, engineering and math boasts three female assistant deans.

Kathleen D. Chesmel and Ellyn A. Lester were hired in late spring to head the Materials Science and Engineering Technologies Division and the Construction and Architectural Technologies Division, respectively. They join longtime college employee Stacey C. Hampton, who is assistant dean of industrial and computer technologies.

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The Fish Real Estate Leadership Challenge Course, the creation of which involved the same collaborative spirit that it will nurture in those who use it, was dedicated Aug. 11 on the wooded southcentral side of Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The Challenge Course – a remarkable project funded by Brent and Daria Fish in memory of Brent’s father, William H. Fish – “will foster leadership and team-building skills for generations of students, faculty, alumni and industry partners,” said Loni N. Kline, vice president for college relations. Brent is president of Fish Real Estate, and Daria is head of corporate communications for OxiWear.

An interdisciplinary focus was reflected throughout the development and construction process, which involved the college’s General Services Department, architectural technology and concrete science classes, a helping of off-campus inspiration, and a picnic table donated by the Sigma Pi philanthropic fraternity.

The intricate design includes a bridge that honors the Fish family’s appreciation for the outdoors: stainless steel railings resembling fly-fishing rods, with hooks dangling from lines that drop to a dry creek bed below.

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The Gallery at Penn College has announced its 16th season of engaging art exhibits for the 2021-22 Academic Year at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Two displays of contemporary art begin the season: Michael Reedy’s “Into the Void,” exploring the timeless topic of the human body through mixed-media works, opens Aug. 13, and Jeanette May’s “Tech Vanitas,” featuring still life photographs highlighting the obsolescence of technology, begins Oct. 21.

Special exhibitions marking two 75th anniversaries are included in the lineup with “Golden Legacy: Original Art From 75 Years of Golden Books” and “A Diamond Anniversary: A Celebration of 75 Years of the Little League Baseball World Series.” Both will be displayed in the new year.

Exhibits showcasing the talents of faculty and students will also be featured in Spring 2022 with “Journey and Transformation: The Careers of David Stabley & Keith Vanderlin,” “Architecture & Sustainable Design: Senior Capstone Projects,” and “Graphic Design 2022: Senior Portfolio Exhibition.”

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More than a half-dozen Pre-College Programs attracted a knowledge-hungry host of teenagers to Penn College’s campuses in recent days, the season opener for high schoolers’ exposure to next-level academics. Campers were engaged and enlightened among the week’s bountiful offerings: Architecture Odyssey, Automotive, Aviation, Engineering, Future Restaurateurs, Health Careers and Information Technology. A second week – inviting more students to test the waters of collegiate opportunity through hands-on learning – will begin July 18.

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Twenty-seven Pennsylvania College of Technology students received Innovation Engineering Blue Belt certification following their successful completion of all modules within the Principles of Innovation course at the college.

The course teaches the fundamentals of innovation, emphasizing critical thinking, problem solving and stimuli for effective innovation.

“The class helps you to think more broadly and helps you get closer to the consumer,” said Nolan M. Hickok, an industrial design student from Troy.

“I think it helps you push the boundaries of your mind and what you can create,” added Harrison Wohlfarth, a concrete science technology and applied technology studies student from Midlothian, Virginia, citing rapid research and other techniques that “help you to think about what you can add to an idea and combine ideas that you might not otherwise think to combine.”

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Two teams of third-year students in Rob A. Wozniak’s Architectural Design Studio V class recently took part in an annual favorite: fashioning cardboard into functional furniture. “Because of social distancing, and not all students being able to participate, it was agreed to be a bonus/extra credit opportunity for those that were interested,” said Wozniak, an associate professor of architectural technology. “These seven students asked if they could … and we are thrilled they did!” Signing on to design and build chairs out of durable and totally recyclable material (all of them enrolled in building science and sustainable design: architectural technology concentration) were Marcie M. Harman, Nescopeck; Jason R. Hollenbach, Reading; and Megan A. Bugbee, Geneseo, New York, who created a solid and sleek lounger, and Adam W. Breckinridge, Lykens; Alejandro F. Huaman, Dingmans Ferry; Grant W. Schaeffer, Ephrata; and David T. Hornak, Spring Mills, who designed a commanding rocker with a footstool. Judges for the informal competition were Melinda D. Heckman, coordinator of career programming; Christa Matlack, women’s soccer coach; Kate M. Wetzel, office assistant to the School of Engineering Technologies; and Tom Wilson, writer/editor-PCToday. But why should they have all the fun? “For a closeup and a ‘test ride,’ and to view their related posters beyond, please stop by,” Wozniak invited. The chairs are at the top of the stairs on the second floor of the Hager Lifelong Education Center, alongside a few pieces that remain from the Spring 2020 BSD352 course.

Think you have what it takes to design the future? Meet Dorothy J. Gerring, associate professor of architectural technology and 31-year member of the Penn College faculty, who discusses the program and leads a virtual tour of the hands-on studio spaces on the second floor of the Carl Building Technologies Center. Outlining how the college’s two architectural degrees prepare graduates for immedite employment, Gerring says “We have a really good blend of our classes between not only some of the theoretical things – ’cause you have to be able to imagine and understand how concepts fit into things over time and across different disciplines – but also very, very solid foundational items so that, as soon as you’re graduating, you can actually walk in an office and you know what a set of working drawings are, and you can be able to be good on the job from the first day that you’re there.”

Inspired by the mission of the 50K Coalition, a new scholarship established at Pennsylvania College of Technology by Larson Design Group (LDG) supports diversity and honors the longtime service of the firm’s former president and CEO.

The 50K Coalition focuses on a bold national goal of producing 50,000 diverse engineering graduates annually by 2025. The Keith S. Kuzio Larson Design Group Scholarship at Penn College will be awarded to a full-time, diverse candidate studying in the architecture and engineering fields at the college. The yearly scholarship includes a summer internship.

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A restaurant in Argentina, an aquarium in Ireland and a resort in Singapore are just a few of the awe-inspiring architectural design concepts created by Pennsylvania College of Technology students and available for viewing in an online exhibit titled “Architecture & Sustainable Design.”

The virtual display opened Dec. 4 on the website of The Gallery at Penn College and showcases the talents of 15 seniors in the college’s Bachelor of Science degree major in architecture and sustainable design: John H. Bernbaum, Waynesboro; Collin J. Egelhoff, Loganton; David B. Fischetti, Mechanicsburg; Stephanie A. Flick, Wind Gap; Kristina M. Holland, Mechanicsburg; Taylor J. Hurst, Etters; Liam W. Jones, Reading; Chad M. Karper, Hummelstown; Olivia Kleman, Shamokin; Austin J. Kohl, Pittsburgh; Damon T. Liuzzo, Carbondale; Keegan B. Mack, Kingsley; Drew P. Miller, Williamsport; Donald J. Reisch, Lititz; and Dylan T. Spanier, Dillsburg.

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Ten students embarking on their first semester at Pennsylvania College of Technology have been chosen as Built Environment Scholars in a program that rewards academic talent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related career fields.

Each was awarded a scholarship ranging from $4,250 to $7,000, funded through a $1 million National Science Foundation grant to increase retention, graduation and workforce preparedness for students in many of Penn College’s STEM-focused construction and engineering majors.

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Celebrating the talents of graduating seniors, Architecture & Sustainable Design 2020 is viewable on The Gallery at Penn College’s webpage.

The online exhibit showcases the work of students earning Bachelor of Science degrees in Pennsylvania College of Technology’s building science and sustainable design major.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a May 14 opening reception was planned for the exhibit in The Gallery at Penn College; however, a shift from the physical space to an online showing was required.

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Students in Rob A. Wozniak’s Architectural History course, an art elective that attracts students from a variety of majors, recently closed out the semester with a brisk stroll among downtown Williamsport’s rich selection of buildings and styles. The course is typically taught in the spring, but Wozniak (an associate professor of architectural technology) kept the same schedule for the fall term – which meant “a bit of a chill.” The class followed an informative pamphlet compiled several years ago, traversing a self-guided loop that encompasses 23 structures within a one-mile area. Among the historic buildings are the First National Bank Building at 21-25 W. Third St., the city’s first “skyscraper;” the former county prison at 154 W. Third St., built shortly after the Civil War; the Ulman Opera House at 2 E. Third St., where Mark Twain promoted “The Innocents Abroad” on New Year’s Eve in 1869; and the much-beloved James V. Brown Library at 19 E. Fourth St. “If you’re looking for something to do, bundle up as the students did,” said Wozniak, who also provided the photo. “Or put it on hold for the warmer days ahead.”